Red Tractor is a not-for-profit company created by farmers and industry leaders in 2000. Together, they wanted to raise awareness of and increase consumer confidence in British farming produce.
At the time, the sector was in crisis following the BSE, Salmonella and Foot and Mouth outbreaks. An NFU survey also found that 7 out of 10 people had no idea what foods their local farmers produced
Over 20 years later, the Red Tractor logo on food and drink is recognised by consumers nationwide. It tells them these products are traceable, safe and farmed with care. British has become a byword for quality food, but that doesn’t mean our work is over.
Today, we continue to champion the British food business, linking farming, food production, processing and packing. Our industry now faces several challenges. These include Brexit, future trade deals and how this will affect import standards, the Agricultural Transition Plan and Covid-19.
That means we must redouble our efforts and maintain the very highest standards. Our producers and consumers expect – and deserve – nothing less than the best.
As a non-for-profit company we have six company guarantors: NFU, Dairy UK, Ulster Farmers’ Union, AHDB, BRC and NFU Scotland. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) also act as an observer.
Our team is passionate about the industry and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience across the food chain. Some members have been involved in farm assurance since its start in the 1990s.
Jim Moseley – Chief Executive
As CEO, Jim oversees Assured Food Standards and manages the team. He has a keen interest in working with regulatory and enforcement bodies.
Philippa Wiltshire – Head of Operations
Philippa handles industry, regulatory and stakeholder liaison around technical assurance and manages the six sector boards. She also oversees our IT strategy. This helps ensure Red Tractor Assurance data and electronic services meet the needs of RTA, members, and the wider industry.
Richard Cattell – Head of Marketing and Commercial
Richard manages the consumer marketing strategy to raise awareness and understanding of Red Tractor. He also oversees our commercial trade development. This aims to increase the number of licensees using the Red Tractor logo on products.
Chris Ashford – Head of Finance & IT
Chris provides financial guidance and leadership to support the development and delivery of our strategic plans. He is responsible for managing risk, ensuring sound financial management, delivery of our IT strategy and systems as well as liaising with external stakeholders including auditors, bankers, statutory authorities and partner organisations.
Ed Knight – Head of Communication
Ed manages all the communications to members, licensees, consumers and industry stakeholders. Ed oversees the delivery of strategic, engaging, reactive and positive communications across multiple channels designed to drive up understanding and to defend, protect and enhance the reputation of Red Tractor.
Our board is made up of experts and academics from across the food industry. The board governs how Red Tractor is run and helps us develop standards that are well-informed and relevant today.
Jim Moseley – Chief Executive
Jim started out at FMC Meat Ltd, then Europe’s largest meat group. His next move was to Wander Foods, where he launched sports drink Isostar in the UK.
He later spent 12 years as Tulip’s Sales & Marketing Director, before becoming Managing Director of General Mills UK in 1999. There he handled brands like Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Green Giant and Nature Valley. In 2015, he joined Mizkan Euro Ltd.
Jim has chaired the Provision Trade Federation and was a Food Drink Europe board member. He’s also been both interim Director General and President of the Food & Drink Federation.
Christine Tacon – Chair
Christine joined us in December 2020 from leading the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), where she spent more than 7 years. She has worked across the food and retail sectors for over three decades.
Starting out as an engineer, she then moved into marketing positions at Mars Confectionery, Vodafone and Anchor (now Fonterra).
For 11 years until 2012, Christine led the Co-operative Group’s farming business. She turned around the £60m turnover business from a £6m loss in 2000 to a £6m profit by 2010.
Christine will remain chair of the BBC Rural Affairs Committee and fresh produce management training scheme MDS.
Alistair Mackintosh – Vice Chair
Alistair has a flock of 1,500 breeding ewes and a herd of 100 beef sucklers across 650 rented acres in Ravenglass, Cumbria. He is a strong supporter of Red Tractor and believes that a robust assurance scheme will give consumers confidence to buy British.
This is something he believes will become increasingly important for UK farming. He says farmers, stakeholders and trade associations must now work together to re-establish the core values of what the tractor stands for. Alistair believes this will ensure farmers don’t view farm assurance as a regulatory burden and instead see what it does for their businesses.
Tom Bradshaw – Industry Director
Tom is the NFU Deputy President. He farms in partnership with his wife, Emily, and his parents in North Essex. Alongside a small owned farm they run a larger contract farming business growing a range of combinable crops across 950 hectares in North East Essex. The home farm is based around arable production but has also diversified into equestrian and renewables.
Tom has represented the NFU from Local Branch Chairman through to Chair of the National Combinable Crops Board. Tom also served as Vice President from February 2020 to February 2022.
Tim Rycroft – AHDB
Tim is AHDB’s CEO. Previous roles include the Chief Operating Officer at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), responsible for strategy and corporate affairs, as well as overseeing the federation’s policy on diet & health and on competitiveness.
Prior to FDF, Tim held senior corporate affairs roles with InterContinental Hotels Group plc (as Director of Communications, Europe); Diageo plc (as Corporate Relations Director, GB and then Corporate Relations Director, Global Duty Free) and Boots Healthcare International (as Head of Corporate Affairs).
For three years Tim was a Special (political) Adviser in government, to the Minister without Portfolio and then to the Secretary of State for Health. Tim has also worked in corporate communications consultancy.
Nick Allen – Industry Director
Nick has a deep understanding of the British meat and livestock industries having previously worked in market development roles for the Meat and Livestock Commission, AHDB and the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX).
As CEO of the British Meat Processors Association he is able to pull together his connections from across farming, the meat industry, retail and government to forge a more collaborative approach to the UK’s food challenges.
As well as his role with BMPA, Nick also runs a farm in Hampshire.
Sophie Throup – Industry Director
Sophie represents the BRC and joined our board in June 2020. She has been with Wm Morrison plc since November 2017 and heads up Agriculture, Fisheries and Sustainable Sourcing.
Sophie started at ASDA before taking time out on the family farm to have children. She joined Bishopton Veterinary Group in 2009. There she developed and managed RAFT Solutions Ltd with her colleagues which delivers livestock research and training. She also helped set up the government funded agri-tech centre, CIEL (Centre of Innovation Excellence in Livestock). Sophie is part of the steering committee for the IGD generated FIIA (Food Industry Initiative for Antimicrobials).
John Pain – Independent Director
John joined our board in January 2020. He has a degree in Agricultural Economics from Newcastle University and an MBA from the University of Leicester.
John has worked with leading UK brands like Sainsbury’s, Nabisco, and Diageo, and joined KFC GB in 1994. He later became Marketing Director for Yum! and VP of Marketing at Taco Bell USA.
In 2007, John returned to the UK as Marketing Director of the Compass Group UK & Ireland business. He later became MD for the Wendy’s Company APEMEA region. John is Vice Chairman of KFC Philippines and Chair of Governing Council at the Royal Agricultural University.
Chris Goodwin – Independent Director
Chris is a Chartered Certified Accountant and joined our board in December 2016. He has held senior roles as a CFO and CEO in several industry sectors. Most recently, he was CFO of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, and previously CEO of the NFU’s commercial subsidiary. He now works as a non-executive director and business adviser for various organisations across the public and private sectors.
James Russell – Independent Director
James is a recognised leader of the veterinary profession, having held several roles within the British Veterinary Association and serving on the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England and appointed as an Assistant Clinical Professor for the University of Nottingham.
For decades, he has worked closely with Red Tractor food producers, and has been recognised for his contribution in the commitment to the fight to eradicate Bovine Viral Diarrhoea and Bovine Tuberculosis.
Professor Guy Poppy – Independent Director
Professor Guy Poppy became the FSA’s Chief Scientific Adviser in 2014, he is also Professor of Food Security at Southampton University and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He has research experience in food systems and food security and has advised governments globally on these issues.
He has also published over 100 peer-reviewed papers including around risk assessment, risk analysis and risk communication. Guy is on the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) panel assessing the quality of agriculture, food and veterinary science in the UK. In June 2020, he became Programme Director for the SPF Food systems programme. In July 2022 he became Deputy Executive Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
He is a graduate of Imperial College and Oxford University.
John Reed – Industry Director
John is Agricultural Director for Avara Foods Limited, a joint venture between Faccenda Foods Limited and Cargill. In his early career he worked in Commercial Layer Management and was Regional Agricultural Manager for Eastwood/Imperial Group/Hillsdown Holdings. In 1991, John became Agricultural Director for Moorland Foods. He joined Sun Valley Foods/Cargill as Agricultural Director in 1998.
His achievements include a Nuffield Farm Scholarship, Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies and Chairman of the BPC. He joined our board in 2019. John has been involved in many Industry and Government Committees.
He co-founded the Red Tractor Assurance Poultry Board British Poultry Training and Poultry Health & Welfare Board.
John Dracup – Beef & Lamb Sector Director
John joined our board in March 2022. He has more than 30 years of experience as an advocate and leader in British agriculture and the food processing industry.
In addition to running a successful beef and lamb family farming business in Devon, he has experience in pioneering electronic auctions and managing one of the largest beef and lamb processors’ livestock divisions and continues to hold the position of strategy director for The Royal Smithfield Club.
Tim Lock – Dairy Sector Director
Tim joins Red Tractor with extensive experience in the dairy industry having previously held roles with the NFU National Dairy Board and has chaired the Chichester Branch of the NFU.
He ran a mixed family farming business in West-Sussex and brings a wealth of experience and understanding of the whole dairy sector to the role. Tim has also served as the chair of the M&S National Milk Pool.
Lucy MacLennan – Fresh Produce Sector Director
Lucy has worked across the food industry, agriculture and fresh produce sector for over 25 years. She has helped improve the quality and safety of fresh produce for leading UK retailers like Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s. She has also worked extensively throughout their supply bases. Lucy is current Chief Executive Officer for the Organic Research Centre.
She is a Nuffield Scholar and has an MBA from Cranfield University, Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Agriculture from Nottingham University and a BSc (Hons) in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Surrey. She is also undertaking research into the future of farm assurance and audit requirements.
Stewart Houston CBE, FRAgS – Pig Sector Director
Stewart has served as a non-exec member of the Food Standards Agency Board. He was also chair of the British Pig Executive and a member of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
In addition, he has been on the Scottish Agriculture College board and was Executive Director of the National Pig Association. He is today a non-exec member of Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Board, England which advises ministers on policy. It is currently developing an Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.
Iain Gardner – Poultry Sector Director
After graduating from Edinburgh, Iain worked in the pig industry for five years before joining BOCM PAULS. He rose through the ranks and was part of the management buyout and later sale of the business to ForFarmers.
For the past 17 years, he has worked at Executive or Group Board level. After 30 years of working closely across the agricultural industry, he left his role as Chief Operating Officer in December 2017. In 2018, he became Chair of the BOCM PAULS defined benefit pension scheme. Iain is also Chairman of the AF Group and Chair of the Notcutts defined benefit pension scheme.
Kit Papworth – Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet Sector Director
Kit is a Norfolk-based, award-winning farmer and conservationist growing feed and seed wheat, malting barley, sugar beet, oilseed rape, vining peas and potatoes. He has held a number of chair and board roles within the agri-food sector, including Anglia Farmers (Now AF), AF Logic, Pensthorpe and the NFU Sugar Board.
Sector Boards
The Red Tractor Assurance Sector Boards are responsible for overseeing the management of the Sector Schemes and their activities. They are made up of experts and representatives from the sector (see list below). Each sector also has a Technical Advisory Committee responsible for the on-going maintenance and development of Red Tractor Assurance standards.
Our sector board members are listed below:
John Dracup – Chair
David Morgan – NFU
Will Jackson – AHDB
Alice Liddle – BRC/Food Service
Zanna Dennis – Livestock Auctioneers Association
Bryan Griffiths – National Sheep Association
Rob Venner – National Beef Association
Dean Holroyd – British Meat Processors Association
Henry Blain – Multiple Retailer
Natalie Smith – Multiple Retailer
Tim Lock – Chair
Peter Dawson – Dairy UK
Michael Masters – First Purchaser Representative
Ian Harvey – NFU
Rachel Hayton – British Cattle Veterinary Association
Murray Patrick – NFU Scotland
Paul Dover – Dairy UK
Lucy Squire – Dairy UK
Steve Harris – Dairy UK
Natalie Smith – Multiple Retailer
Joseph Keating – BRC
Mervyn Gordon – UFU
Lee Truelove – Dairy UK
Neville Graham – Dairy UK NI
Paul Tompkins – NFU
Nic Parsons – AHDB
Kit Papworth – Chair
Angela Bowden – Oilseed Crushers
Olly Harrison – Cereals grower
James Cox – Cereals grower
Matthew Culley – Cereals grower
Julian South – MAGB
Patrick Mitton – Pesticide Issues Consultant
Brin Hughes – BOBMA
Penny Somervell – AIC/Grain Merchants
Peter Chandley – Weetabix
David Eudall – AHDB
Nick Morris – Sugar manufacturer
Alex Waugh – UK Flour Millers
Gill Barrow – AIC/Grain Merchants
TBC – Sugar beet grower
Nigel Davies – TAC Chair
Harriette Roberts – BRC
Lucy MacLennan – Chair
Sarah Blanford – Retailer
Veryan Bliss – Technical Consultant
Tim Casey – Grower and NFU
Peter Illman – Retailer
Damon Johnson – Retailer, BRC
David Kennedy – Technical Consultant
James Lee – Grower
Tim Papworth – Grower and NFU
Phil Pearson, Grower
Kelly Shields – Fresh Produce Consortium
Stephen Shields – Grower
Stewart Houston – Chair
William de Klein – Processor
Heidi Deckker – Processor
Ash Gilman – Processor
Pig Producer Reps (indoor and outdoor) – x4 (including 1 x NPA Rep)
Natalie Smith – Retailer
Caroline Mason – BRC
Charlotte Evans – AHDB Pork
Gemma Thwaites – Pig Veterinary Society
Will Haresign – TAC Chair
Iain Gardner – Chair
Clay Burrows – QBT
James Mottershead – NFU
Gavin Foster – BPC
Philip Wilkinson OBE – BPC
David Neilson – Integrator
Tom Meeson – British Retail Consortium
John Kirkpatrick – Retailer
David Gibson – BPC
Jonty Hay – NFU
Judith Irons – Food Service Sector
Technical Advisory Committees (TACs)
Each Red Tractor Assurance sector has its own Technical Advisory Committee. TACs use their ability and experience to make recommendations to the sector board and help develop our standards. They also work to deliver the technical strategy and shape our vision and purpose. TAC members include farmers, retailers, NFU/AHDB representatives and other industry experts.
TACs are responsible for:
Our sector TAC members are listed below:
David Morgan – Chair
Alastair Sneddon – Auctioneer
Richard Findlay – NFU
John Royle – NFU
Mark Weekes – Farmer
Phil Stocker – NSA
Sarah Penrose – AHDB
Neil Shand – NBA
Sarah Haire – Meat Processing
TBC – British Cattle Veterinary Association
Iestyn Tudur-Jones – WBLP
Kathryn Kerr – QMS
Colin Smith – LMC
Lucy Squire – Chair
Tim Lock – Sector Board Chair
Gemma Smale-Rowland – Farmer
Lee Truelove – Dairy UK
Sarah Blacklock – Dairy UK
Alice Miller – British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA)
Holly Gower – RSPCA
Verity Richards – NFU Staff Member Representative
Jenny Gibbons – AHDB Dairy
Mike Gorton – Farmer
Jonathan Evans – Processor
Cyril Orr – UFU
Tracy Roan – NFUS
Nigel Davies – Chair
Angela Bowden – SCOPA
Brin Hughes – BOBMA
Dhan Bhandari – AHDB
Gill Barrow – AIC/Grain Merchants
Anthony Hopkins – NFU
James Croskell – ACFM
Joe Brennan – UK Flour Millers
TBC – Sugar beet grower
Nick Morris – British Sugar
Olly Harrison – NFU Crops
Penny Somervell – AIC Merchants
Peter Gadd – NFU Crops
Kit Papworth – Sector Board Chair
David Kennedy – Chair
Lucy MacLennan – Sector Board Chair
Clive Baxter – Top fruit production
Grace Choto – AHDB
Emma Burke – Grower
Andrew Curtis – Potato Processors Association
Rupert Weaver – NFU
Charlotte Curtis – Independent consultant
John Worth – Retailer
Jan Redpath – NFU Scotland
Patrick Mitton – Independent Pesticides Consultant
Andy Alexander – NFU
Gavin Gill – Retail supplier of vegetables
Tom Meeson – Retailer
Chris Mattinson – Retailer
Paul Goddard – Crop Protection Association
Prof Will Haresign – Chair
Stewart Houston – Sector Board Chair
Mark Harding – Building Manufacturer
Stephen Waite – Producer/Breeding Company
Jane Matthews – British Pig Association
Heidi Dekker – Producer/Integrator
Chris Leamon – Producer
Lorraine Salmon – Feed Representative
Annie Davis – Pig Veterinary Society
Claire Barber – AHDB Pork
Zoe Davis – National Pig Association
Martin Barker – Feed Representative
Prof Sandra Edwards – Independent Welfare Advisor
Jonathan Green – Producer
Phil Woodall – Marketing group
Ursula O’Neill – Processor / Integrator
Harriet Heap – Retailer
Jess MacKintosh – Producer / Integrator
Ellie Wotherspoon – Retailer
Kyle Boyd – Producer/UFU Rep
Steve Dart – Integrator
James Hook – Hatchery Representative
Mark Foster – NFU
Muhammed Maliki – Integrator Representative and N Ireland
Andrew McKenzie – Breeder Representative
Nick Davies – Processor
Mark Kempsell – Retailer
Adekunle Adebiyi – Feed Representative
Tim Burnside – Breeder Representative
Sam Jones – Breeder Representative
Maire Burnett – BPC
Stuart Beaumont – Hatchery
Evelyn Edwards – Integrator
Stephanie Robinson –
Andrew Jackson – Independent
Maire Burnett – BPC
Steph Charlton – Integrator
Emily Hall – Breeder representative
Tracey Jones – CIWF